Do you save used strings?

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

So you cut them under tension?

Oh well, your guitars, your right to do as you like with them.

No, you just loosen them slightly and then cut them. They don't need to be fully slack. A couple or three twists of the tuner is usually enough. I cut the heavier strings first but I'm not sure it makes a difference.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

So you cut them under tension?

Oh well, your guitars, your right to do as you like with them.

My life-long guitar tech (Frets & Necks, one of the most respected shops in the American Southwest) actually cuts all six strings, while under tension, with a special long-bladed torture device wire cutter. The first time I saw him do that to one of my guitars, I cried out in pain lol ——- I said “Is that a good thing to do???!!??” I don’t remember his answer, because I had fainted.

He just smiled and continued his work.

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by Thoughtfree

....Anybody else save used strings?...

I send them to "Strings For Hope" a Nashville charity that supports women facing severe hardships. They make and sell jewelry and other items from used strings: https://stringsforhope.com

From their website: "...Utilizing secondhand musical strings allows us to provide second chances for survivors of addiction, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. Through employment in our program, survivors receive supplemental income and learn job skills while in transition."

[seaveez]

Originally Posted by gmel555

I send them to "Strings For Hope" a Nashville charity that supports women facing severe hardships. They make and sell jewelry and other items from used strings: https://stringsforhope.com

From their website: "...Utilizing secondhand musical strings allows us to provide second chances for survivors of addiction, domestic violence, and sex trafficking. Through employment in our program, survivors receive supplemental income and learn job skills while in transition."

Very cool. Thanks for the info.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by lowrider

I save them up and recycle them to D'addario.

same here ^^^^

[mtdmind]

I just throw them away.

[dhalbert]

i had been throwing them in the metal-recycling dumpster at the local recycling center. I would hope they would get melted down in some way. But maybe that's a fantasy. I have an envelope full now and maybe someday I will send the lot to D'Addario.

[Jamolay]

It is nice to recycle when we can, so please, like with all waste, see if there is a reasonable recycling option before trashing them. The world is full of garbage, every little bit recycled or re-used helps.

Several local guitar shops here in denver take strings to recycle. I doubt the municipal recycling center can do anything with them, and their inclusion may make a batch of recycling materials unusable and then just landfill.

I like the donation to make jewelry. When I collect enough, I will probably send it there.